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Designing Learning Games that Don’t Suck

Educators react in very dramatic and differing ways to games. Capturing these reactions can transform the development of the next generation of learning games. The goal of this session is to ignite a conversation around how to best gather and implement teacher input – enthusiasm, pedagogical approach, curiosity, and critique -- in game design.

Through a host of teacher input it's become clear that 'learning games that work for teachers' is a distinct sub-category of learning games writ large. The gap between game designers and teachers is actually wider and deeper than we originally thought. In this session, panelists will chart that gap to develop an understanding of the differences in thinking and how we bridge them, thus reshaping communication between game developers and educators.

Game developers, educators, and gaming enthusiasts alike will benefit from this conversation that will move the needle forward in rethinking game design.

Additional Supporting Materials

Questions Answered

What do teachers really feel about learning games, and what surprises seasoned game developers about what they hear from them?

How does understanding teaching practices and approaches change how we should design games (not just the learning materials that go with the games?)

What strategies work best to get useful teacher feedback and engage teachers in the design process: from user groups to summer camps to teacher advisory boards? What strategies can the savvy developer skip?